undertakings, was born at Baerton, near Chester, Novem ber 7, 1805. He was the son of a landed proprietor, of ancient family, and received an ordinary commercial educa tion at a Chester school. He began his professional career at the age of sixteen as apprentice to Mr Lawton, a surveyor, and on the completion of his term became the partner of his master. Soon after his marriage his master died, and he assumed the sole management of the business. In the local surveys to which he devoted his attention during his early years he acquired the knowledge and practical experi ence which were the necessaryfoundation of his great reputa tion. His first engagement as railway contractor was entered upon in 1835, when, on the invitation of the distinguished engineer Joseph Locke, he undertook the execution of a portion of the Grand Junction Railway. Soon after Mr Locke entrusted him with the completion of the London and Southampton Railway, a task which involved contracts to the amount of 4,000,000 sterling and the employment of a body of 3000 men. At the same time he was engaged on portions of several other lines in the north of England and in Scotland. In conjunction with his partner, Mr W. Mackenzie, Brassey undertook, in 1840, the construction of the railway from Paris to Rouen, of which Mr Locke was engineer. He subsequently carried out the extension of the same line. A. few years later he was engaged with his partner on five other French lines, and on his own account on the same number of lines in England, Wales, and Scotland. " At this time," says The Builder, " the industrial army set in motion and controlled by Mr Brassey amounted to 75,000 men, and his weekly payments must have distributed, as the price of labour, from 15,000 to 20,000 every Saturday. The capital involved in these various contracts amounted to some 36,000,000 sterling." But his energy and capacity were equal to still larger tasks. He undertook in 1851 other works in England and in Scot land; and in the following year he engaged in the construc tion of railways in Holland, Prussia, Spain, and Italy. One of his vastest undertakings was the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, 1100 miles in length, with its astonishing bridge over the River St Lawrence. In this work he was asso ciated with Peto and Betts. In the following years divisions of his industrial army were found in almost every country in Europe, in India, in Australia, and in South America. It must be remembered that, besides actual railway works, he originated and maintained a great number of subordinate assistant establishments, coal and iron-works, dockyards, &c., the direction of which alone would be sufficient to strain the energies of a common mind. His profits were, of course, enormous, but prosperity did not intoxicate him ; and when heavy losses came, as sometimes they did, he took them bravely and quietly. Among the greatest of his pecuniary disasters were those caused by the fall of the great Barentin viaduct on the Rouen and Havre railway, and by the failure of Peto and Betts. Brassey was one of the first to aim at improving the relations between engineers and contractors, by setting himself against the corrupt practices which were common. He resolutely resisted the " scamping" of work and the bribery of inspec tors, and effected what he called the "smothering of the engineer" by destroying the power of the inspectors and preventing all just grounds of dissatisfaction. Large hearted and generous to a rare degree, modest and simple in his taste and manners, he was conscious of his power as a leader in his calling, and knew how to use it wisely and for noble ends Honours came to him unsought. The cross of the Legion of Honour was conferred on him. From Victor Emmanuel he received the cross of the Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus ; and from the emperor of Austria the decoration of the Iron Crown, which it is said had not before been given to a foreigner. He died at St Leonards at the age of G5, December 8, 1870. His life and labours are commemorated in a small volume published
by Sir Arthur Helps in 1872.BRAUNSBERG, a town of Prussia, capital of a circle in the government of Kb nigsberg, on the Passaye, between three or four miles from its mouth in the Frische Haff. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic bishop of Ermeland, and possesses numerous Roman Catholic institutions. Of these the most important are the Lyceum Hosianum, founded in 15G4 by the Cardinal Bishop Hosius, and in 1818 raised to the rank of a faculty of theology, and the deaf and dumb asylum which was established in 1811. There is also a school for the education of schoolmasters. Brewing, tanning, and weaving are the most important industries of the town, which also carries on a certain amount of trade in corn, ship timber, and yarn. The river is navigable for small vessels. Braunsberg was founded by the Teutonic knights in the middle of the 13th century. Destroyed by the Prussians in 1262 it was restored in 1279, and admitted to the Hanseatic League in 1284. After numerous vicissitudes it fell into the hands of the Poles in 1520, and in 1626 it was captured by Gustavus Adolphus. The Swedes kept possession till 1632. Population in 1871,10,471.
BRAY, a seaport town and fashionable watering-place of Ireland, 12 miles S.S.E. of Dublin on the railway to Wexford. It is situated on both sides of the River Bray, which separates the two counties of Wicklow and Dublin, the portion in the latter county being known as Little Bray. The town is neatly built, and has a new parish church, a large Roman Catholic chapel, an old castle, a hospital, a court-house, several hotels, and Turkish baths. An esplanade runs along the shore for about a mile. The harbour admits small vessels only, and the trade is of little importance. There is a large brewery, which has been in existence for a considerable time. In the 12th century Bray was bestowed by Strongbow on Walter de Reddesford, who took the title of Baron of Bray, and built a castle in the town. It has since passed into the hands of various families. Its progress during the present century may be estimated by the gradual increase of the population 1841, 3185; 1851, 3156; 1861, 5363; 1871, 6077.
BRAY, Sir Reginald, architect, was the second son of Sir Richard Bray, one of the privy council of Henry VI. Having been instrumental in the advancement of Henry VII. to the throne of England, he was greatly in favour with that prince, who bestowed upon him honours and wealth. His taste and skill in architecture are attested by those two exquisite structures, Henry VII. s chapel at Westminster and St George s chapel at Windsor. Ho directed the building of the former, and the finishing and decoration of the latter, to which, moreover, he was a liberal contributor. He died in 1503, and was interred in St George s chapel.
BRAY, Dr Thomas (1656-1730), was born at Marton, in Shropshire, and educated at Oxford. After leaving the university he was appointed vicar of Over-Whitacre, and rector of Sheldon. Bishop Compton sent him as his commissary to settle the affairs of the infant church of Maryland. He took a great interest in colonial missions, and busied himself in raising sums for purchasing small libraries for the use of missionaries; and to promote this design, he published his Bibliotheca Parochialis, and a discourse on Apostolical Charity. He endeavoured to establish a fund for the extension of the Christian faith, especially among the American Indians, and it is to his exertions that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel owes its existence. He was the author of Catechetical Lectures, Martyrology, or Papal Usurpation, Directorium, Missionarium, and other works.
